Trevor Booker

B.J. Holmes and Texas A&M passed their first test. Holmes scored 20 points as Texas A&M upset No. 19 Clemson 69-60 on Thursday in the first round of the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif. David Loubeau added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Aggies (4-0), who will face No. 8 West Virginia in a semifinal game Friday. "It's good early in the season to (play a lot of ranked teams) to see where we're at," Holmes said. "It's great to play back-to-back teams (of) high caliber."

Will they make a deal? When Jordan Crawford was asked how he felt about not appearing in a series of games, the Wizards' reserve shooting guard replied, "I'm good. " But he let his frustrations known on Twitter by subtly mentioning his stats from December, when the Wizards were placed in his hands and he produced quality numbers but few wins. The Wizards' leading scorer before John Wall made his debut and Bradley Beal began to gain some confidence, Crawford has had his role steadily diminished in the past month — first, by a bone bruise in his left ankle and second, by some poor play — and now appears to be the odd man out. The Wizards are 6-2 in the past eight games that Crawford hasn't played, but he has attracted the attention of several teams around the league seeking some offensive punch off the bench.

It was a game of tipped passes and blocked shots and hard fouls and air balls and -- most of all -- turnovers. Made baskets? Those were precious and few as Clemson halted Maryland's impressive early run in Atlantic Coast Conference play with a 62-53 win tonight that was hardly aesthetically pleasing except for fans of rugged, full-court defense or missed layups. The Terrapins, whose four-game winning streak was snapped, entered the contest leading the ACC in the standings as well as in assist-to-turnover ratio and shooting percentage -- a gaudy 48.7 percent.

It was midway through the first half and the Clemson Tigers were accomplishing two daunting tasks. The Tigers were not only beating Maryland by 15 points, but they had all but silenced the normally hyped-up Comcast Center crowd. The crowd seemed stunned that the Terps -- now 7-0 here in Atlantic Coast Conference games -- might finally drop one at home. But Clemson's success -- and the student section's relative silence -- did not endure. Led by guard Sean Mosley (20 points)

COLLEGE PARK -Hang around Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams long enough, and you begin to understand something: He doesn't mind being in the eye of a storm. In fact, he prides himself on his ability to find calm in the center of chaos. There is no question that this season has been somewhat chaotic for the Terrapins (16-8, 5-5 Atlantic Coast Conference), who face another must-win game on the road tonight against No. 13 Clemson (20-4, 6-4). But if you look beyond the recent turmoil, which includes a star player squabbling with fans and the coach publicly feuding with the athletic department, Maryland has won three of its past four games.

Will they make a deal? When Jordan Crawford was asked how he felt about not appearing in a series of games, the Wizards' reserve shooting guard replied, "I'm good. " But he let his frustrations known on Twitter by subtly mentioning his stats from December, when the Wizards were placed in his hands and he produced quality numbers but few wins. The Wizards' leading scorer before John Wall made his debut and Bradley Beal began to gain some confidence, Crawford has had his role steadily diminished in the past month — first, by a bone bruise in his left ankle and second, by some poor play — and now appears to be the odd man out. The Wizards are 6-2 in the past eight games that Crawford hasn't played, but he has attracted the attention of several teams around the league seeking some offensive punch off the bench.

It was midway through the first half and the Clemson Tigers were accomplishing two daunting tasks. The Tigers were not only beating Maryland by 15 points, but they had all but silenced the normally hyped-up Comcast Center crowd. The crowd seemed stunned that the Terps -- now 7-0 here in Atlantic Coast Conference games -- might finally drop one at home. But Clemson's success -- and the student section's relative silence -- did not endure. Led by guard Sean Mosley (20 points)

Trevor Booker scored 18 points and Clemson won back-to-back games for the first time in almost a month with a 74-66 victory over visiting Miami on Saturday. The Tigers (18-7, 6-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) hadn't won consecutive contests since taking three straight the first half of January and had been in danger of falling out of the ACC chase. Instead, Booker's inside play and Clemson's outside shooting touch were too much for the Hurricanes (17-8, 3-8). Andre Young had four of the Tigers' nine 3-pointers.

By Jeff Barker and Jeff Barker,jeff.barker@baltsun.com | February 1, 2010

CLEMSON, S.C. - -It was a game of tipped passes and blocked shots and hard fouls and air balls and - most of all - turnovers. But made baskets? Those were precious and few as Clemson halted Maryland's impressive early run in Atlantic Coast Conference play with a 62-53 win Sunday night that was hardly aesthetically pleasing except for fans of rugged, full-court defense or missed layups. The Terrapins, whose four-game winning streak ended, entered the contest leading the ACC in the standings as well as in assist-to-turnover ratio and shooting percentage - a gaudy .487.

It was a game of tipped passes and blocked shots and hard fouls and air balls and - most of all - turnovers. But made baskets? Those were precious and few as Clemson halted Maryland's impressive early run in Atlantic Coast Conference play with a 62-53 win Sunday night that was hardly aesthetically pleasing except for fans of rugged, full-court defense or missed layups. The Terrapins, whose four-game winning streak ended, entered the contest leading the ACC in the standings as well as in assist-to-turnover ratio and shooting percentage - a gaudy .487.

Trevor Booker scored 18 points and Clemson won back-to-back games for the first time in almost a month with a 74-66 victory over visiting Miami on Saturday. The Tigers (18-7, 6-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) hadn't won consecutive contests since taking three straight the first half of January and had been in danger of falling out of the ACC chase. Instead, Booker's inside play and Clemson's outside shooting touch were too much for the Hurricanes (17-8, 3-8). Andre Young had four of the Tigers' nine 3-pointers.

By Jeff Barker and Jeff Barker,jeff.barker@baltsun.com | February 1, 2010

CLEMSON, S.C. - -It was a game of tipped passes and blocked shots and hard fouls and air balls and - most of all - turnovers. But made baskets? Those were precious and few as Clemson halted Maryland's impressive early run in Atlantic Coast Conference play with a 62-53 win Sunday night that was hardly aesthetically pleasing except for fans of rugged, full-court defense or missed layups. The Terrapins, whose four-game winning streak ended, entered the contest leading the ACC in the standings as well as in assist-to-turnover ratio and shooting percentage - a gaudy .487.

It was a game of tipped passes and blocked shots and hard fouls and air balls and - most of all - turnovers. But made baskets? Those were precious and few as Clemson halted Maryland's impressive early run in Atlantic Coast Conference play with a 62-53 win Sunday night that was hardly aesthetically pleasing except for fans of rugged, full-court defense or missed layups. The Terrapins, whose four-game winning streak ended, entered the contest leading the ACC in the standings as well as in assist-to-turnover ratio and shooting percentage - a gaudy .487.

It was a game of tipped passes and blocked shots and hard fouls and air balls and -- most of all -- turnovers. Made baskets? Those were precious and few as Clemson halted Maryland's impressive early run in Atlantic Coast Conference play with a 62-53 win tonight that was hardly aesthetically pleasing except for fans of rugged, full-court defense or missed layups. The Terrapins, whose four-game winning streak was snapped, entered the contest leading the ACC in the standings as well as in assist-to-turnover ratio and shooting percentage -- a gaudy 48.7 percent.

B.J. Holmes and Texas A&M passed their first test. Holmes scored 20 points as Texas A&M upset No. 19 Clemson 69-60 on Thursday in the first round of the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif. David Loubeau added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Aggies (4-0), who will face No. 8 West Virginia in a semifinal game Friday. "It's good early in the season to (play a lot of ranked teams) to see where we're at," Holmes said. "It's great to play back-to-back teams (of) high caliber."

COLLEGE PARK -Hang around Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams long enough, and you begin to understand something: He doesn't mind being in the eye of a storm. In fact, he prides himself on his ability to find calm in the center of chaos. There is no question that this season has been somewhat chaotic for the Terrapins (16-8, 5-5 Atlantic Coast Conference), who face another must-win game on the road tonight against No. 13 Clemson (20-4, 6-4). But if you look beyond the recent turmoil, which includes a star player squabbling with fans and the coach publicly feuding with the athletic department, Maryland has won three of its past four games.

Deron Williams scored 19 points and had 13 assists as the New Jersey Nets sent the visiting Washington Wizards to their fifth straight loss. Williams, who didn't play in Wednesday's loss to Portland because of a stomach virus, led five New Jersey players who scored in double figures. The Nets never trailed and built a 15-point lead in the first quarter. New Jersey's biggest advantage was 24 late in the fourth, as it won consecutive home games for the first time this season.